Welding mask



May 19, .1953' -OLSQN 2,638,592

l WELDING MASK Filed May 24, 1951 IN VEN TOR. OLSON ATTE! R N EYS Patented May 19, 1953 OFFICE WELDING MASK.

Curtis L. Olson, Alexandria, Va.

Application May 24, 1351, Serial No. 228,107

Z Claims. (Cl. 2 8) (Grantedunder Title 35, U, S. ACode v(1,952), sec. 266) `l The invention `described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without payment to me of any royalty thereon. This invention relates to an use with welders masks or hoods of the type wherein a xed or pivoted face protecting shield is mounted in such a manner asto cover the operators' face while 'operating arc or flame welding equipment. More particularly, the invention pertains to an attachment which `may be readily affixed to a. conventional fixed or pivoted welders hood whereby the mask or hood' is ventilated in 'amanner to keep the lens from frosting in cold climates thuspermitting the Welder to workr in these climates. In weldinglinvcoldclimates, the welder'wearing the conventional hood has been handicapped by the condensation and freezing of moisture on the lens. This moisture formation is primarily due to the breathing of the operator which produces a temperature differential on the lens causing condensation of the moisture thereon and freezing thereof bythe cold climatic conditions producing a frost on the lens. V'With the attachment hereinafterl described, a conventional attachment for u welders'mask or hood` may be readily but economically ventilated in such a manner vas to alleviate the above-describedcondition. It has .been broadly proposed in the prior art'to pipe air'to a welders. mask so that the Welder will have sucient air to breathe and remove any noxious fumes which may seep into the interior of the mask, and further, it has been proposed in the prior-art toallow free air to circulate within the mask to protect the wearer from intense heat, but all of these 'prior devices have proven objectionable because they fail to eliminate the formation. of lfrost upon the lens when used .inextremely cold climates, andin such prior-devices, their operationdepends upon a forced circulation of air from a compressional source thereof.

- One. object of the Ypresent invention is to pro- ,vide an attachment tov aAconventional-wel'ding Ilslflsns si Medically disposed sir passage( shennel member or flue which carries a lens system in 'spaced relation to a sight and breathing opening provided in the helmet or hood and which is open at both top and bottom ends, through which warm air is expelled into the air passage and circulates upwardly as cold air enters the air inlet located at the lower extremity of the air passage duct or flue. 'I'his movement of cold air upward and past the lens system prevents the formation of frost on the lens, the lens being in heat-exchange relation with the cold air, which continuously sweeps across the lens.

L Another feature of this invention is the provision of spaced baffles in the air passage located on oppositesides thereof and extending in opposite relationship one to the other beneath the lens and sight opening to obstruct the air flue against the entrance of harmful sparksor arc flash through the air .inlet `to the welders eyes without restricting the flow of air through the duct orv flue.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, and the features ofnovelty will be pointed out in particularly in the appended claims.

From the description which follows, it will be understood that various structural. details and features of the improved device of the present invention may be modified without departing from the'spirit of the present invention, and that therefore the accompanying drawings are to be regarded as being illustrative only of the charactercf the present improvements and as representing a representative, although a typical embodiment 'of the features upon which the present inventionv is predicated. The invention will be understood more readily, therefore, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: .Fg. 1 represents a verticalsectional elevation fof an improved welding hood embracing the features of the present invention, the view showing the manner of wearing thehood during Vwelding operationsit being taken generally ontheverticalcenter line ofthe hood;

'FigiA 2 is a front .elevation of viceV illustrated in Fig. 1;

the improved del Fig.3 is a-perspectiveview thereof;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, taken on the line IV-IV of `liig. 2 looking the direction of the arrows; and 40 Fig. 5'is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail ofa portion of the device o f Fig. 1, designed .to show 'in'g'reater detail certain structural features ofv the 'present device.

.Referring more particularly to the drawings,

reference numeral it indicates a welding mask or hood adapted to be secured'in place by a headband Il and a chin rest l2 when being worn, the said mask or hood protectively enclosing an operators face, it being customary to provide such hoods with a transversely-extending combined sight opening and breather aperture I3 which permits the operator to envision the work during the progress of the welding operation.

The present improvement relates particularly to a means of Ventilating a welders mask or hood as has been indicated above, and more specifically,

to a simple attachment for use with a welders hood which will prevent the formation of moisture or frost upon the lens thereof. Ihis improvement consists in providing an air passage or duct 20, open at both ends and mounted adjacent to the facepiece I4, which duct comprises a channel that encloses the breathing opening I3, the channel 30 including lateral mounting flanges 33. As shown in the drawings, Fig. 1, the channel 30 preferably takes the form of a rectangular plate 3| carrying lens assembly 4|) mounted oppositely and adjacent to the breathing opening i3 and includes webs 32 vertically attached to the side edges of plate 3 I, said webs 32 being provided with the side flanges 33 by means of which the channel 30 is attached in any suitable manner to the facepiece I4.

Baiile plates 34 and 35 are mounted on these webs and oppositely extend within channel 30 intermediate the lens assembly and lower end of said channel. As shown in the drawings, the baffle 34- preferably takes the form of a rectangular bar projecting upwardly and inwardly toward the plate 3| and attached to the webs 32 by any suitable means adjacent to the flange end of the said webs, and the baffle 35 preferably is of the same shape as the baille 34, and projects upwardly and inwardly toward the facepiece I4, and is attached to the webs 32 at a point adjacent to the plate 3|. The lens assembly 40 consists of shaded lens 4| mounted in a frame 43, pivotally connected to plate 3| of the channel 30 by means of a hinge 42 and adjacent a clear glass lens 44 mounted within said plate 3|.

In use, with the hood in place over the welders face, cold air enters the air inlet 2| of the air passages 2B. defined by the channel 30. Warm respiratory air exhaled by the wearer of the helmet passes through the combined sight and breathing opening I3, where it comes in contact with the cold air and passes upwardly through the duct or flue 20. This movement of cold air upwardly and past the lens 4| prevents formation of frost on the lens, it sweeping the said lens in heat exchange relation therewith. Furthermore, the baiiies 34 and 35 in the air passage prevent the entrance of dangerous sparks or flash from a work-piece being Welded into the air duct or flue Without restricting the flow of air therein.

The lens assembly is adapted to permit the welder to perform welding operations without being exposed to harmful arc-flash and to perform weld-chipping operations without removing or raising the hood by raising only the shaded lenses which are pivotally attached to said plate of said channel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and Wish to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

l. A welding hood assembly comprising, in combination, a welders hood for enclosing a welders head having a face covering portion with a sight opening in line of sight with the welders head, plate means mounted on thehood and defining a chimney-acting air passage with the hood, the said passage being vertically disposed and having opposite open ends, the bottom open end being an air inlet and the top open end an air outlet, a lens assembly mounted in the plate means in line of sight of an operator and in spaced relation to the sight opening, said sight opening providing an intake for warm air opening into the vertical chimney-acting air passage, warm air entering the vertical air passage through the sight opening rising through the said vertical air passage and aspirating cold air from the surrounding atmosphere through the open bottom end of the vertical air passage, a mixture of relatively warm and cold air passing as a natural upward draft from the vertical air passage through the open top'end thereof, the resulting air draft through the vertical air passage preventing moisture from condensing on the lens assembly, and baille plate means in said air passage to prevent entrance of arc-ash in the sight opening.

2. A welding hood comprising, in combination, a hood member for receiving and enclosing the face and head of a welding operator and provided with a breathing aperture for passage therefrom of warm air exhaled by the operator during wearing of the hood, means mounted on the hood deiining a tubular vertically disposed chimney therewith having an open top end and an open bottom end and communicating interiorly with the said breathing aperture whereby ascending warm air entering the duct from the said breathing aperture aspirates air into the said chimney through the lower open end and draws the said air upwardly through the said chimney responsively to ascension of warm air through its chimney, viewing means communicating with the chimney and positioned in line of vision of the operator, the said viewing means including protective glass means for the eyes of the operator, the said glass means being swept by moving air currents in the chimney in heat exchange relation therewith, the said air currents sweeping the glass means inhibiting condensation of moisture therefrom and fogging and frosting thereof. and a plurality of baiile means mounted in the chimney below the breathing aperture in spaced staggered relation for obstructing aspiration of welding sparks from a workpiece being welded into the chimney by air currents entering the chimney.

CURTIS L. OLSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,342,898 DeRosier June 8, 1920 1,504,029 DeRosier Aug. 5, 1924 2,384,765 OReilly Sept. 11, 1945 2,390,352 Bouchard Dec. 4, 1945 2,514,990 Dewan July 11, 1950 2,579,942 MacLean Dec. 25, 1951 

